Sunday, November 16, 2008

Simplifying

For those of you who would like us to simplify our last post here are our recommendations. I definitely recommend tilling in the spring (if you till in the fall you would still have to till in the spring.)Although you soil Ph will affect which crops grow best in your garden below are some types that I have found fairly easy to grow.

Zucchini – this is probably the easiest plant there is to grow. Very prolific it is not unusual to have all you can eat from 4-6 plants.

Other summer squash are very easy as well. Usually very prolific.

Cucumber is a good choice. Prolific.

Winter squash does well.

Pumpkins can go crazy! Give them lots of room to grow!

Swiss chard – this is a fairly easy green to grow.

Beans can be moderately easy.

Cantaloupes (Muskmelons) are usually fairly easy. Although your melons may not be the size they are in the store, they make up for it in flavor.

Herbs – most herbs are very easy to grow. I have a friend who specializes in herbs and he has tried to kill them by refusing to water them to no avail.

Basil is a good choice. It is easy to grow. Basil has many different varieties. From famous Italian basils to purple basils and more!

Bunching onions (also an herb) will come back every year.

Look at the list above and decide what you like and what you want to grow. However, a very good start is to put zucchini in your garden. It is a true beginner’s crop. Something else I highly recommend is to put Biosol fertilizer down. It is made for organic growing and we have had great success with it. If applied at the recommended rate it will not burn your plants! Apply it after you till at a rate of 14 pounds/1,000 square feet. One thing to bear in mind as you select your plants, most plants does not grow well in shade. Most things grow best 3/4 to full sun.

2 comments:

This is a great read Laurie! I have a question: if we are going to place a community garden in our area next spring in an empty lot, how much prep do we need to do to the land before tilling? The ground is fairly level but do we need to have someone with a dozer come in a level it out completely?